My new book, The Honey Locust, arrived today. It's my fourth book, but this one feels really special, perhaps because it's taken so long to be published. I have never held a newborn baby in my hands and thought, "This is mine; I created this," while marveling at the infinite possibilities that lie ahead for it. And while I don't mean to undervalue the gift of human life (or my other books), I feel something very much like that, as I hold this book and caress it and marvel over its beauty.
September 12, 2009
Another fun night at the Proust and Company salon, featuring the new must-have anthology from editor Caro Soles and MLR Press. It was also Paul Bellini's birthday -- the Big "0". Happy birthday, Paul! And thanks to everyone who came to listen and buy a book.
Here's my take on the collection:
Don Juan & Men edited by Caro Soles (MLR Press 2009)
"What if Don Juan were gay?" is the question posited by this unique collection. Unlike his real-life counterpart, Giacomo Casanova, Don Juan is a fictional character, Byron's epic poem Don Juan and Mozart's opera Don Giovanni (libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte) being among the most famous versions of the legend. Now editor Caro Soles presents us with a convincing collection of short fiction showing the Don's other face as gay seducer. Characterized by fine craftsmanship, as much a nod to editor Soles' qualities as a curator as to the talented writers she's selected, this collection gives a wonderfully varied look at what a gay Don Juan might be like: greedy and generous, sadistic and loving, aggressive and gentle, and most of all, irresistible.
September 1, 2009
A rather remarkable morning at the recording studio today. I spent two hours with singer Lilac Cana and producer Michael Freedman going over the four songs I'd written for Lilac's new CD, Blossom. Of the four, we loved three and decided to scrap one, eventually re-recording the first song we recorded back in spring. There was nothing wrong with the take, but in the intervening months, Lilac and I had found a new tone and tempo for the song, and it made the old take sound lacklustre. I'm quite excited about the collection, which features a young violinist on the third song, Violets, with words by english poet John Moultrie.
August 12, 2009
Today was one of those rare transformative days. I recently finished final edits on The Honey Locust, my novel about the Bosnian war, due out next month from Cormorant. I played hookey and spent three hours on my bike listening to my iPod and riding around the east end. At one point, I stopped in a ravine to listen to the Bach cantata Ich Habe Genug ("I Have Enough"), with one of my favourite tenors, Ian Bostridge. I was utterly transported, to the point where I felt as though I was in 18th century Leipzig in the middle of an Alpine forest (my fantasies are nothing, if not elaborate.) It took me back to a similar moment that brought forth this particular book, many years ago. I was sitting on my back porch under a neighbour’s Honey locust and experienced a feeling of utter peace that was entirely foreign to my nature at the time. It was to become the basis for the last scene of the book even before I knew what the story was about, other than its underlying theme of personal redemption. Those two moments—fifteen years apart—have book-ended things for me, for it’s only now that the book has been fully realized in my eyes. The moment itself was very Goethe-Schiller-18th-century Romanticism, but I’d be a liar if I denied that my soul is steeped in that tradition, even if my current style is outwardly anti-romantic in nature.
August 8, 2009
Wow--a whole month since my last entry. And a busy one. Since then, I've learned that Death In Key West is the number one seller at Glad Day Books, our local beloved bookshop. It was also among the top six sellers at Saints and Sinners Literary Festival in New Orleans in May.
Lately, however, I've been under the gun to put the final touches on The Honey Locust, my literary novel about a Canadian journalist who experiences the Bosnian War. It's now in to the proofreader. I'll have a final go at it next week, and then it's out into the wide world with it, where I hope it finds a good home. Reality can be harsh.
July 8, 2009
This month sees me engrossed in three quite different projects. The first is the rough draft of a YA novel, "Javier and the Temple of the Jaguar," a brand new genre for me. It was inspired by my trip to Chiapas and the Mayan ruins at Palenque in February. The second is the continuation of the composing and recording project of my song cycle for soprano Lilac Cana, while the third is the video for Lilac's 40th birthday celebrations at St Lawrence Centre for the Arts this September. Busy times!
June 29, 2009
It's been a busy time. Following last week's very successful launch of Death In Key West, book two of the Bradford Fairfax mystery series, I was invited to read at the Proud Voices stage as part of Toronto's Pride Week Celebrations. It's something I've been hoping would happen for years.
I had perfect weather for my reading on Saturday, but the following day threatened annihilation by thunderstorms that miraculously passed by until the parade and most of the celebrations were over.
And as if that weren't enough excitement, today I finished my rough draft for book four of the series, Bon Ton Roulez, Cajun for Let the Good Times Roll. (I'll let you guess what southern city it's set in.)
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